The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-06-19
THAT LASS o. LOWRIE'S.
Meeting of the English National Per-
sonal Rights Association.

sonal Rights Association.
NEW YORK, June 1S-"That Lass O Low
rie's" is reality and not a Pigment of the
fertile imagination of the clever Mrs. Hodg-
son-Burnett. ] attended recently the an
nual meeting of the English National
Association for Defense of Personal
Rights, which was held in hand
some hall situated in Essex street,
London, almost directly opposite that most
magnificent pile of modern Gothic buildings,
the new Law Courts. The audience was
large and attentive, and rapturouSly APP
plauded every point taken which aimed at
conteSting all Parliamentary meddling with
individual liberty. The meeting was pre-
sided over by Charles Hopwood, Queens
counsel and recorder of Liverpool, who was
supported by Miss Muller, Mr.. Charles Nc
Laren, NJ. Leon Donnat member of the Mu-
nicipal Council of Paris, who stated that he
was actively associated with a sister society
in Paris for the defense of personal rights;
and other prominent people. Ii appears
that in 1886 it was proposed III Parliament,
in the coal mines regulation act amend
ment bill, u to abolish female labor at the
brow OF coal mines, at the representation
that the dress worn by these women when
at work offended propriety, consisting, as it
does, of trousers, skirt and jacket. A depu-
tatlon of Pit-brow women attended the
meeting, and three of them, in full working
outfit, were accommodated with seats upon
the platform, where the audience was EN-
abled to judge for itself of the exact charac-
ter of the dress. 1t would be difficult to de-
wise costume more modest. The hair is
completely hidden by a black alpaca skull
cap with a hanging bag at the back, into
which any loose locks may fall, and thus be
preserved from dust; high-necked, long
sleeved jacket of thick dark blue cloth is
,f II
which reaches about to the calf of the leg:
between this and the boot tops are seen
the much -talked-of trousers, which in
reality are nothing more nor less-except
that they are made of dark cloth like the jack
ct and skirt-than the pantalettes which
were universally worn and shown
a few years ago, and which are
still worn but not shown nowadays. A col
Ored silk tie about the neck and large lin
en- apron completed the accoutrement. The
three women represented lifes stages
youth, maturity and old age. All were ro-
bust, Sturdy-in a word, magnificent speci-
mems of the female animal; and all three
were endowed with compilations of the lily
married to the rose. The youngest was a
girl of IS, who it was stated, had worked for
five years at the Pit-brow. She was indeed
a picture.s A few truant locks upon her
forehead proclaimed her to be perfect
type of golden-haired blonde; large eyes Of
darkest sapphire were modestly downcast
and shaded by long, curling lashes the flag
of ruddy health waved over the rosy cheeks
and ruby lips, and altogether one could
easily imagine that scholarly, town-woln
young minister, like the one depicted in
That Lass o. Lowries,n could fall to loving
this honest, primitive type of healthy wom-
an and to want her to wife despite their
social unfitness; while on the other hand one
could believe that the deeply touched him
wolshiping but conscientious girl should
cry, as did the lass: Not yet; let me edu-
cate myself first; let me be little more
worthy of You" congratulated Miss Null
Ter on the success of her energetic protests
against interference with these honest wom-
ems labor. ''To speak of their dress as
immodest is absurd" said. SIS it not p she
exclaimed 1T is our dress Il. e., that of wom-
en- of fashion, which is immodest, not
theirs" The agitation in behalf of their
right to continue their work will Row pre-
vent any Parliamentary action relating TO
the women of the Pit-brow. Sc much for
an active protest! OLIVE LOGAN.